D K Kotwal
Unambiguously, it can be said that today the planet earth is in an ailing state of health. In the human history ,there is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism-an enormous being of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs and vital processes which need to be respected and preserved. The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health.
The earth is severely facing the threat of global warming i-e emission of greenhouse gases. To ride over this ever increasing challenge to existence of life, the world community entered into an agreement known as Paris Climate Agreement . This is an agreement within United Nations Framework Convention on climate change dealing with greenhouse gases emissions, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. It was drafted and adopted by the representatives of 195 countries on December12, 2015 and was signed by most of nations of the world on April 22, 2016 at a ceremony at Newyork. The agreement went into effect on November 4, 2016 . Its main aim is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degree C in comparison to pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degree centigrade, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change and the other objective of it is to make finance flow, consistent with a pathway towards low green house gas emissions and climate resilient development.
In the world history, the human race has been gripped with imagination and gay mood since the agreement’s coming into existence expecting and looking forward to the revitalisation of planet health and thereby ending the danger to the life both of plant and animal but this euphoria among the mankind seems to disappear with the entry of a person into the oval office – the most powerful political office in the world. He says that global warming is a ‘hoax’ and a conspiracy hatched by China to destroy the competitive spirit of America in the field of industry. Trump has gone further saying during his election campaign that he would take USA out of the Paris climate Pact and end the US funding for UN initiatives to control climate change. Apart from all other risks associated with Trump’s Agenda to push US towards isolation in economic and political policies, sabotaging global climate negotiation would be the most dangerous policy shift because the biggest threat that humanity faces is from global warming.
On the first day of his office, he straight away struck off Obama’s health initiative. On the subsequent days, he is passing new orders with every passing day. He has ordered for stopping the funds needed for abortion purpose across the world. Every sensible person is stunned to hear that he has scrapped the immigration policy thereby paving the way for the construction of Mexico wall and that too at the cost of that country. The year 2016 ended with the worrying revelation that it was the warmest year on the instrumental record since the late nineteenth century and the hottest of the 3 record breaking years in a row. While the rise in the global average surface temperature about 1.1 degree centigrade over the pre-industrial era was aggravated by ELNINO phenomenon of 2015-2016, the trend is warning to all countries that they cannot rely upon carbon intensive growth any longer. NASA’s Goddard Institute for space studies points to the rise in temperature as being driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human made emissions into the atmosphere. The warming must be seen in the context of declining sea ice cover in the Arctic, compounding the loss of ice sheets in green land and Antartica. Melting ice creates a vicious circle of more exposure of dark area to sun light, high melting and more dark surface absorbing heat. Such phenomenon enhances global warming with consequences through climate change for coastal areas, access to water, farming and human health.
A warming globe with changes to the climate in the form of altered rainfall, lost bio-diversity, drought, floods and reduced crop yields would have an adverse impact upon millions of people. It is heartening that Chinese president 11th Jinping asserted the importance of the Paris Agreement on climate change at the Davos meeting of the ‘World Economics Form’ and virtually cautioned US President against reneging on it. India’s commitment on it is to be strengthened and should scale up of all renewable energy and measurable decline in use of fossil fuel. The statement by Nikky Hailey who is Donald Trump’s choice as US ambassador to the UN will do more harm than good as he is a reflection of anti-internationalistic and isolationistic ideological stance that is encouraged by Trump’s declaration of taking the US out of internationally agreed pacts. Reducing green house gases emissions which is central to reducing global warming is not possible without internationally agreed and enforced targets and the strengthening of the UN role in reaching internationally agreed decisions.
Reduction in fossil fuel is central to de-carbonising the economies, thereby meaning reducing green house emissions, Trump is determined to speed up the use of coal and has choosen Scot Pruitt to head the US environment protection agency. Scott Pruitt had waged a war against Gina McCarthy who headed the EPA during the Obama regime and was the chief architect of president Obama’s climate change policies. The climate denied tendencies exist in the Republican Party and such liking has been further boosted up by Trump’s anti-environmental policies. Still there is hope that this Trump’s anti-environmental attitude can be put on hold because of the following:-
(i) The scientific community is in unison in saying that the root cause of global warming is unprotected and unhindered emissions of green house gases. It will not be easy for Trump to completely oppose science in this brazen way.
(ii) More importantly, that the changes in the technology and the economics are making the solar and wind energy more human savvy and cheaper than fossil fuel. This favourable change in reduction in expenditure in economic activities won’t be resisted with even by Donald administration.
(iii) Political opposition mooted by persons like Bernie Sanders supported by environmental campaigners and action groups and hopefully by a substantial if not whole of Democratic party that would be the most decisive factor in checking Trump’s flawed thinking and policies. Given to his isolationist thinking, he is unlikely to be influnenced by world community in bringing round to its views pertaining to the addressal of very pressing world problems. It will be mainly the domestic opposition- Scientific, environmental, business and political- that can stop Trump from undermining climate change negotiations and agreements that are so vital to protect the planet earth.
May good sense prevail upon Trump and goes ahead in the sincere implementation of climate change agreement thereby saving the planet earth from an imminent decimation.
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